[mythtv-users] missing tv schedules

Tue Feb 21 04:44:19 UTC 2012

Thanks for a great laugh. I'm amused.

The logic here is just silly and it's a slap in the face to all those who devote their time to open source. For a $100 I can have Windows OS and Windows Media Center (and I do. I run two concurent media servers for redundancy). Why are all of you devoting so much time to MythTV? It's only a $100.

Now that this is out of the way, the main question remains. How do I go about diagnosing the problem at hand?

Someone left a crumb; check out dvbsnoop. Thanks.

But how about another alternative, how can I transfer a TV schedule from one station to another? For example, MythTV shows me the tv schedule for NBC-HD but not for NBC-SD. How can I manipulate the sql database to copy NBC-HD (7.1) to NBC-SD (207.1)? Create a symbolic link?

In addition, how about some help delving into the SQL database tables so that I can confirm that there isn't a problem with them.

Someone pointed out that the cable company or the broadcaster may not be transmitting EIT for this station. How can I confirm this? (i'll look into dvbsnoop. is there anything else?)

Also worth noting is that the BE provides several methods for getting tv schedules (datadirect, directv, EIT), all three currently fail to fill in or replace the existing TV schedules. Why don't they work?

Lastly, if you all are saying that this isn't important, then fine. The DEV team should rip out all of these options. But they spent time inserting them and as of v0.25 they haven't decided to yank them out. 

All I'm trying to do is learn why they don't work? And if they be fixed or is there a work around.

----- Nick Rout <nick.rout at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 12:06 PM, Michael T. Dean
> <mtdean at thirdcontact.com> wrote:
> > On 02/19/2012 08:06 PM, jameskel wrote:
> >> I am using one multiplexed channel which contains 11 tv stations.
> >>
> >> In FE (watching tv), tv schedules for 9 stations appear but 2 don't.
> >> In BE (Video Sources), I am using Listings Grabber: "Transmitted Guide Only (EIT)"
> >> Channel Frequency Table: us-cable
> >>
> >> How can I drill into this problem to understand why this is happening?
> >>
> >> How can I determine if the station is broadcasting EIT or not?
> >>
> >>
> >> PS - I've already asked for help with this issue in ubuntuforums/mythbuntu - no joy
> >> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1922430
> >
> > You could buy a membership to Schedules Direct for $25/yr (=
> > ~$0.07/day), support the Free/Libre Open Source Software community,
> > and--in so doing--get free, high-quality listings that will make MythTV
> > far more useful than US EIT--especially since cable companies have no
> > incentive to provide EIT data (in fact, their incentive is to not
> > provide such data to make it more likely that you'll use their
> > equipment), so many do not provide it for any channels they are not
> > required to provide it with (and, TTBOMK, if they have to provide any
> > EIT data at all, it's only for the local TV channels that you would be
> > able to receive OTA with an antenna).
> >
> > If you want things like duplicate matching and series recording and such
> > to work, reliably, you will need high-quality listings data.  The
> > listings data you get for free with a Schedules Direct membership is the
> > same data that TiVo users pay ~$15/mo to receive.  And, IME, it's some
> > of the best listings data available to MythTV users anywhere in the
> > entire world.
> >
> > Note that MythTV is Free software.  A MythTV system, however, is an
> > expensive luxury DVR solution.  When you look at the cost of buying
> > hardware; the time you spend installing, configuring, maintaining,
> > learning, and keeping up with changes to MythTV; and the cost of
> > replacing hardware, such as failed HDDs (versus just calling the cable
> > company and having them replace the DVR they're providing for $10/mo),
> > MythTV is not at all free.  The $25/yr I spend on my Schedules Direct
> > membership is a negligible fraction of the money I've spent on my MythTV
> > system (which isn't all that impressive compared to many on the
> > list--especially considering none of my frontend or backend systems have
> > cost me more than $250).  The benefits of spending that $25/yr
> > (including supporting the F/LOSS community as well as getting those free
> > listings) make me happy to spend that money.
> >
> > If you want to spend many hours of your free time to try to save $25/yr,
> > feel free to do so (just how much is your free time worth to you,
> > anyway?).  Just search for dvbsnoop and all the information about how to
> > use it--and the EIT standards and requirements, as well as US and local
> > requirements, to figure out just what to expect--and start
> > investigating.  Note, though, that there's unlikely to be any "quick
> > information" or "quick solutions" to your problem--as most MythTV users
> > in the US have chosen to become Schedules Direct members, so that they
> > may support the F/LOSS community and get the free, high-quality listings
> > data available to members.  Not to mention the fact that what data is
> > available on the channels your local cable company re-broadcasts is up
> > to your local cable company, so it's quite likely no one in your local
> > area has done any real research into the availability of EIT on your
> > re-broadcast-by-your-cable-company channels.  (Where, again, the cable
> > company is best served not providing EIT data, but using a proprietary
> > listings data stream that's accessible by cable-company-provided
> > equipment--their STBs--only.)
> >
> > Mike, a proud member of Schedules Direct, and supporter of F/LOSS
> > software development
> 
> Thats kinda what i told him in the forums, but it appears he is a non believer!
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